Bottom Feeders

[Majjie]

I've recently added some pygmy corydoras to my female platy tank and four dwarf chain loach to a tank with tiger barbs and danios.

From my point of view it has worked well (apart from some unexpected losses of the dwarf corydoras), adding interest to the bottom of the tank. They're both lovely species - active and cute!

I'm worried, though, that they aren't getting enough to eat. I've tried putting in flake food for the main occupants and sneaking in some sinking food at the same time - but female platys, tiger barbs and danios are all experts at sniffing out every scrap of food. The tiger barbs and danios, in particular, soon twigged that there were food tablets on the bottom of the tank and picked them up and swam about with them at the top of the tank, fighting over every scrap.

How can I make sure that the bottom feeders are fed??

 

[Qays]

Hi.

Feed your fish in one corner, once theyre occupied with their own food.

put some bottom dweller food in at the other side of the tank and your done.

If that doesnt work, feed through a pipe.

If worst comes to worst, and theyre definately getting no food, you'll have to quarantine them for food, or just keep them in a separate tank.

good luck

 

[Majjie]

Thanks Quays,

I guess I'll just have to experiment. I never even gave a thought as to how to feed them. Perhaps I'll just have to give them lots of food and up the water changes.

 

[Iron Man]

You just hit the nail on the head. If the fish are going to fight over the fish tables meant for the bottom dwellers you'll just have to put enough tablets in there for all of them to be able to eat at the same time. This might make more nitrates but you can up the water changes and have no problem.

 

[Qays]

No, its better if you dont give them lots of food.

Try feed through a tube. If you use a siphon, push the pipe into the bottom of the tank, make sure its full of water so the pellets fall to the bottom, and hopefully your greedy fish wont steal the bottom dwellers food.

Feeding too much is bad for the fish who eat the food, they will eat as much as you give, so if you give them loads food, they will just excrete it out without using the nutrients as their body does not need it.

A fishes stomach is about the size of its eye, so you can see that they need very little amounts of food.

 

[Iron Man]

I'm talking about giving them enough so that the tablets aren't being taken from the bottom dwellers, not overloading everyone with food. Lowering the tablets down there with a tube may be the way to go, but to me you're just putting them down there using a different method, and once on the bottom, the other fish are going to find the tablets and steal them/gobble them up.

 

[Majjie]

Thanks Guys

I will experiment but I suspect Iron man is right. The tiger barbs can smell out food at fifty paces (mine not theirs ). I once gave them one of those holiday sticks before I went away for a while - and they'd eaten most of it before I'd left!

 

[SamUK]

i dont kno about the loaches bit ive never seen any of my corys eating flakes at feeding time.


they spend there whole day going about looking for food thats already on the bottom and i doubt your plattys and tiger barbs are getting every scrap, u just cant see what the corys are eating.


id jus keep up the normal feeding routine, i definately wouldnt feed them more anyway.

 

[annka5]

If its any consolation, I've had the same problem with my cories - they just never seem to eat anything! However, i've had them for about a year and they've grown a lot in that time, so clearly they must be eating.
I reckon they must be snuffling around in the substrate for food.

 

[ajbettle]

my pygmys actually go up to the top and steal flakes!!! they eat so much food for such small fish..i meen when a bloodworm cube goes in they all go and plonk them selves on it and just sit on it and gorge themseleves!!
iv got lots of pictures of them!

 

[Qays]

Iron-man, fish go on for a very long time without full stomachs, the cories are probably getting their supplement, its never right to overfeed.

my pygmys actually go up to the top and steal flakes!!! they eat so much food for such small fish..i meen when a bloodworm cube goes in they all go and plonk them selves on it and just sit on it and gorge themseleves!!
iv got lots of pictures of them!

Clever cories have learnt they dont need to scrounge around for food!

 

[ajbettle]

no they dont!! actually they still do that!!! little hoovers!

 

[Qays]

haha, cool name. im gonna call the ones i get, the hoover gang.

 

[Majjie]

Guess I needn't worry then Thanks for all the replies.

Chain loaches are currently chasing the zebra danios round - so certainly not shy!